For the 2024-25 tax year, the full level of the new state pension is £221.20 per week, giving an annual income of £11,502. As a couple, this means you could receive up to £442.40 a week, or £23,005 per year.
Once again, the amount you get will depend on you having accrued enough qualifying years.
In order to be eligible for the full “new” state pension, you need to have 35 qualifying years of NI contributions. To get any, you’ll need at least 10 years of contributions.
It’s possible for one of the couple to receive the old state pension, while the other receives the new state pension, depending on when they reached state pension age.
Can I receive state pension benefits using my spouse’s National Insurance record?
As mentioned above, if you are a married woman and don’t have enough qualifying NI years for the full state pension, you may be entitled to the “married woman’s rate”. This enables you to claim 60pc of the basic state pension that your spouse gets.
So, for example, if your husband gets the full £169.50 in the 2023-24 tax year, you would get £101.70.
Remember, this only applies to the old basic state pension – and not to the new state pension. The new state pension is based purely on your individual NI record.
What happens to the state pension if my husband or wife dies?
If your partner passes away, you as the surviving spouse may be entitled to receive their state pension.
Becky O’Connor, director of public affairs at PensionBee, said: “This will depend on a number of factors, including how old you are, whether you’ve got to state pension age – along with the specific rules of the UK state pension system at the time of death.”
Be aware that the rules around spousal entitlement to state pensions can vary. The best approach is to get in touch with the Government-run Future Pension Centre for guidance on your individual circumstances.
Note that state pensions where the deceased partner became eligible after April 6 2016 are not transferable.
Ms O’Connor added: “This was the point at which the system transitioned from the old ‘basic’ system to the ‘new’ state pension, and the point when state pension entitlements became dependent only on the individual person’s contributions – and not those made by a spouse.”
What happens to our state pension entitlement as a couple if one or both of us enters a care home?
If you’re in a couple and one of you moves into a care home, you will be keen to know whether you can still get your state pension.
The rules will depend on a number of factors, including whether you pay the care home fees yourself or whether you get help from your local authority.
If you are a self-funder, you will continue to get your state pension as normal.
If, however, your local authority is paying some, or all, of your care fees, you may have to contribute some of your income – including your state pension – towards the cost of your care.
To read more about care home fees, head here.
How can I find out how much state pension I’ll be paid?
The best way to work out how much you’re entitled to – no matter whether you’re single or in a couple – is by getting hold of your state pension forecast.
I have gaps in my NI record – can I fill them?
If you have gaps in your NI record there’s a risk you could end up getting paid much less than you expect when you come to retire.
The good news is, you can opt to top up those gaps.
This can be particularly helpful to women who may have taken time out from their career to bring up children, or to look after elderly relatives. It could also be useful if there are periods when you have been unemployed or earning an income less than the NI contribution threshold.
You can usually plug gaps for the previous six tax years, but it’s currently possible to plug any gaps back to 2006-07. If you need to do this, you only have until April 2025 to act.
If you want to find out many years of NI payments you’ve made – and to check for any missing years – you’ll need to check your National Insurance record.
